End of KH Players’ 2016-17 season

After the Saturday night performance of Once Upon a Mattress, KH Players’ 2016-17 season came to a close. The program, which is supported by over 100 students, dozens of parents and a handful of directors, performed two mainstage shows, two Black Box shows, a one-act festival and won several awards at the Missouri State Thespian Conference.

Starring JJ Noa (Hlestakov), Jared Goudsmit (Mayor) and Marissa Young (Anna), The Government Inspector started the 2016-17 season with a comedic touch. Outrageous characters, fat suits and facial hair filled the Keating Stage Oct. 6-8.

Batmania, the second show of the year, showed Nov. 17-19 in the KHS Black Box theater. This freshman/sophomore performance was adapted and directed by Kristi Gunther, KH Players’ guest director. The show followed Aidan Beasley (Batman) and Noah Rowan (Robin) as they worked to stop Maddie Hawes (Catwoman) and her team of villains from destroying the world.

Jan. 5, KH Players performed a one-act festival where they showcased two one acts, Stirred Not Shaken and The Role of Della, which were both selected to perform at the Missouri State Thespian Conference in downtown St. Louis Jan 12. Both were directed by students (Justin Sweeney and Bryson Reid) and were developed by a cast and crew of upperclassmen.

While at the state thespian conference, KH Players received several recognitions in addition to performing the two one acts. Bryson Reid and Cara Palombo were both awarded theater scholarships. Additionally, Palombo was selected to perform “I’ll Be Here” from Ordinary Days in front of the entire conference and KH Players’ tech crew won the Missouri State Tech Challenge, making them the top crew in the state this year.

The Exonerated, which ran Jan. 19-21, told the stories of six wrongly convicted survivors of death row and brought attention to the consequences of the criminal justice system. Following opening night, Dr. Andrea Boyles led an open discussion about The Exonerated and social change. Additionally, the show raised hundreds of dollars to help support exonerated people in need.

The season concluded with Once Upon a Mattress April 6-8. The spring musical was the largest show of the year, containing over 100 students in the cast, crew, and full pit orchestra. Once Upon a Mattress required a director, a choral director, a pit director, a costume designer, a set designer and a choreographer to bring the story to life.